Anatomical Landmarks
by ashley232
Summary: Seth and Summer start their first year of college...and see if they can survive.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own The O.C…blah blah blah.

"Femur"

"Patella"

"Tibia"

"Fibula"

"Good. Okay, I think you got it Summer. We've gone over it a hundred times. And I'm starving. I can't study any longer without food."

"Shhh, Cohen. We haven't even gone over the histology stuff yet. I want to pass."

"Summer, you will pass. You know it. Come on, let's just go to the cafeteria and get something to eat. Half an hour." Seth pursed out his bottom lip and lifted his eyebrows so that the ever-endearing puppy-dog face would force Summer to reconsider.  
"Please please please please."

Summer sighed. "Fine. Come on." She picked herself up off the floor and proceeded to throw on a baggy Brown sweatshirt and some sandals.

Seth's face lit up and he plastered a smile and went to hug Summer. Why he needed to beg her to eat was beyond him. But he was still in the phase of clinging to her side every second. After many hurdles, somehow they both managed to get into Brown and had only been in the swing of things for about a month. Summer, just as Seth had predicted, was acting beyond mature and responsible about everything, including schoolwork.

After leaving Summer's room, they walked down the quiet hall and down the stairs.

"Wow. It's quiet tonight." Summer stated obviously.

"That's because it's a Friday night. No one stays here on Fridays." Seth said coldy.

Summer swore he pmsed more than her sometimes. "Sorry, I was just trying to make conversation."

Summer quickened her pace out of her dorm and started walking faster across campus to their destination, trying to ignore Seth.

"Summer, slow down. Look, I'm sorry." Seth sped up to catch up with her. He finally reached her and grabbed her hands.  
Summer turned around to face him. Her tired eyes look up to Seth's pleading face. He brushed a loose strand of dark hair away from her cheek and look at her scrunched face.

"Sum. Are you okay? I've never seen you stress out this much before. And finals aren't even close yet." He laughed a little.

He saw the panic in her face spread. "I just-. I can't-. I don't want to do bad and mess everything up," she finally got out.

She hardly every let her guard down like this, so Seth knew to keep his mouth shut and continue to listen. He stroked her cheek up and down while his fingertips grazed her soft skin, urging her to continue. When nothing else was spoken, he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her into his chest. He heard her sigh and mumble something. He mumbled back. Their reciprocating mumbling was another mirrored action that they had picked up. Even though sometimes neither could distinguish what the other was saying, their dialogue was complete enough by any sounds they made. All Summer needed was to be held. Seth slowly rocked her trembling body back and forth while his fingers brushed through her silky hair. After a while, he felt her body sink as she relaxed into him. He pulled away and planted a soft kiss on her nose.

"Sum, listen to me. You have done great so far and you will continue to do fine, but you need to relax a little bit," he said softly. "God, I never thought I would have to tell you to calm down. It should be the other way around."

"Okay fine. I'll calm down, but after dinner, we have to study some more," she said smiling. Summer's newfound need for perfection was something different for Seth. Ever since the end of senior year, Summer had her sights set on being successful. She didn't really know what she wanted to do yet, but thought human anatomy would be an interesting class, and well, maybe even beneficial. Seth of course, was in the same class.

They reached the cafeteria and ate slowly, talking about nothing. Seth loved these conversations. No matter how much he time he spent with her, he always found out something new about her. Half an hour tuned into an hour as they continued to talk and laugh in their own little world in a corner table.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah, thanks. You ready to go?" she asked.

"Lead the way, my Summer-bun."

She burst out laughing. "What did you just call me?"

"I don't know," he said laughing back. "Just changing things up a bit."

Summer continued to giggle, "Well, I think things are fine just the way they are."  
"Is that so?" he asked turning his head to the side, while he reached his arms out to tickle her sides.

She let out a little squeal and headed for the door. Seth started chasing after her. Surrounded by young adults, these two hardly looked like college students. Summer sprinted as fast as she could across the courtyard, heading for her dorm.

After Seth finally caught up to Summer, and they went back to her room. Living a couple of buildings apart wasn't bad, but they usually opted for Summer's room. Having a roommate who was gone most of the time did have its advantages.

"Okay, so I kinda want to go over the tissue lab notes, because I am still a little confused," Summer said.

"Sure. And then after that can I pick something to do?" Seth asked.

"Yeah, as long as it involves actual studying," Summer said sternly.

Letting out a fake laugh, "Oh, ha haha. It will my little Summer," said Seth.

"Good. Okay, so the epithelial tissue types are what?" Summer asked Seth.

"Uhh, let's see. Okay, simple sqamous epithelial tissue," Seth said slowly closing his eyes in search for the answers. He could feel Summer getting impatient, wanting to blurt out the answers. "Ah, simple cuboidal epithelial tissue………"

After two more hours of Summer's drilling, they were both starting to fade. Summer was half way on her back and half way on Seth looking straight up at the ceiling. After minutes of silence, Seth was the first one to speak.

"What now?"

Summer groaned, "I donno. We could go out. Like you said, it's Friday night. There's tons of stuff to do."

"Yeah, but I'm tired now," Seth said.

"We could always study some more," Summer started to say shyly. Seth tried to get out from under her and sit up.

"You know, going out sounds great," Seth replied with his teeth clenched together forcing a smile.

"Okay! Sorry. Well, I don't know what to do. But I don't just wanna sit here," Summer said trying to pull Seth back down to lay with her.  
Seth resisted her pull and sat and then hopped off the bed.

"What are you doing?" Summer asked confused.

"Lay down," Seth commanded. Summer just looked at him. "Lay down."

"Why?"

"Just, come on." Seth said rolling his eyes.

"Fine."

"Okay, since you are a study monster, I thought of a more fun way to enjoy studying," Seth said.

Summer started laughing, "Oh God. I am not taking my clothes off to study."

"Shh. No. Just listen," Seth said in a high-pitched voice mocking Summer. "Okay, I want you to name an anatomical landmark and I have to point it out on you."

Summer continued to giggle, "Are you serious? Cohen, how do you think of these things?"

"Hey, there are many weird things that go on in my brain." Seth retorted back. "And yes, I'm serious. Come on, you want to study, I want to not be bored to death from studying, so this seems like a nice compromise."

Summer just sighed, "Fine. But my clothes are staying on."

"Fair enough."

"Okay, what is the first answer Alex Trabeck?" Seth asked very seriously.

Summer giggled again. "Umm, how about the buccal region." Seth stuck out his hand and pinched her cheek and started making little baby sounds. Summer laughed until he grabbed a little too hard. "Ow! Jesus Seth! Okay. You got it--cheek."

Seth laughed through his apologies, "I'm sorry." He let go of her cheek while Summer rubbed her own hand over the red spot.

"This is not a fun game," Summer whined, "especially when you abuse me."

"Okay okay okay. Sorry, I promise I won't do that again. Pleeeease?" Seth whined back.

Summer sighed, "Okay, without pinching me, show me where your digits are."  
Seth immediately grabbed her fingers and threaded his through hers, giving her a huge dimpled smile.

"Good," Summer said pleased. "Okay, where is the palmar region?" She continued.

Seth opened his hand from hers and kissed the inside of her palm slowly, just peaking his tongue out to taste her salty skin.

Summer couldn't help but let out a smile from his warm touch, "Mmm hmm," she giggled. "Umm, how about the brachial region?"

Seth let go of her hand and reached for her upper arm. "Perfect," Summer said sing-songy, "Show me where the oculus region is."

Seth leaned over so his face was level with hers and brought his lips to her left eyelid. He could feel Summer slowly giggle from underneath him as he placed the softest kiss possible on her eye. He pulled back and saw Summer with her eyes closed. "That's right," she said slowly. Clearing her throat, she said, "Okay, where is the otic region?"

This time, Seth got off his knees and proceeded to sit on the bed next to Summer. She scooted over for him and looked at him with a smile. He again went down to her head, this time leaning to the side and slowly breathing in her ear. He heard her giggle and felt her shake a little bit. "Seth, that tickles," she said laughing.

He brought his arm around her and his lips found the base of her ear. He kissed her slightly, while his tongue tried to escape his mouth and latch on to her skin. His teeth then grazed the lobe of her ear as he brought his fingers to remove her hair that was frustratingly getting in his way. He could feel her giggles die down and her breathing slow. Seth then moved to the part behind her ear and started to kiss again.

"Okay, Cohen, I think you have the idea. You know where my otic region is," Summer said sounding annoyed until Seth began to move his body closer to her. He continued to kiss her, pouring all of the lust his lips could muster at the moment. Seth continued back to her ear lobe as his hands went to her waist to rub the small amount of exposed skin her sweatshirt had permitted, until he heard a tiny moan escape her lips.

He raised his head to look at her, only to find her eyes closed and her head very relaxed on the pillow. "Sum," he whispered.

"Hmm?" She managed to get out. Her heart was racing.

"How about one more," he stated while smiling at her.

Rather than responding, she grabbed the sides of his face and brought his lips to hers. It wasn't really an urgent act, just a wanted one. Seth had hoped that all thoughts of anatomy had left her mind, until he heard a mumble from under him, "Rorisis."  
Seth pulled away smiling, "What?"

Summer opened her eyes and very quietly said, "Oris."

This time Seth bent down and placed his lips on hers tenderly as he felt a giggle depart her lips, turning his head to the side in order to obtain better access. He worked his mouth on hers until he felt his lips bruising and he was sure hers were as well. Seth was now smashed against Summer's chest, where he could feel her piercing and rising heartbeat pound into his own chest. He released his tongue into her mouth and he heard another small moan.

"Cohen," Summer breathed, while attempting to push Seth off of her chest. He resisted her push and tried to kiss her again. "Seth!" she said louder.

"Summer!" he yelled back.

That's when she started giggling, "I think we should study like this more often." He just smiled at her and headed back to her mouth.

A/N: Sorry if the anatomy terminology annoyed anyone. I've never written S/S so this was weird for me...I don't know how I feel about it. This was just pointless ...stuff, so I have no idea if I should keep going...I would love suggestions.


	2. Chapter 2

As the semester continued, Seth and Summer's relationship remained steadily. Finals were not that far away and Summer had managed to maintain her composure. Seth was proud.

Like any other normal Tuesday afternoon, Summer was sitting on Seth's floor munching away on a box of wheat thins. Seth was on the bed trying to distinguish between acids and basis for chemistry.

"Cohen," she let out with a sigh, "I wish I could lie out right now. "I am so white, I'm starting to look like you," she complained.

"Summer, what do you expect, they have actual seasons here, and it's almost winter."

"I know, but I never thought I'd miss the sun so much. And my bikinis."

"Well, we're going home in less than a month, so you can indulge all you want then."

Before he could even finish his thoughts, she got up off the floor, grabbed her keys, and headed for the door. Seth, who didn't know what she she was doing, couldn't even ask as he heard his door slam.

Ten minutes later, she returned with a suit in her hand. Seth gave a classic, 'what the hell are you thinking' look while Summer just smiled.

"Cohen, I'm not going anywhere. I'm just gonna put it on for a little bit, while I study. Besides, you have the heater up really high in here."

Seth continued to stare while she began pulling down her jeans, "that's because it's 40 degrees outside Summer."

"I know that's why I'm gonna lay in here." He turned around and plopped back on his bed. He couldn't decide if she was totally crazy or if all 18 year old California-native girls studied in their suits when they felt like it. He opted for crazy as he heard her shed the rest of her clothes.

"Seth," she said seriously, "this clip is stuck, can you help me?" Seth sat up slowly as she turned her back to face his front. As his nimble fingers worked above her soft skin, he decided this was definitely not going to help with his concentration.

"There."

"Thanks," she said cheerfully. Summer returned to the floor, lying on her stomach and began to read. Seth watched her content body calmly focus on the work in front of her. How the_ hell_ did she expect him to concentrate with her like that.

"Summer, are you punishing me for something."

She looked at him curiously, "No, why?"

"As much as you enjoy being like that and as much as I enjoy looking at you like that, this is not gonna work. You really think you are going to study like this, because all I want to do is reach out and touch you."

She giggled at little, "Cohen, I swear I'm not trying to torture you. I just—I feel—I don't know. I feel better like this, free or something. Tell you what, I should be done in one hour, can you wait that long?" She asked.

Seth frowned and stuck out his bottom lip. "Okay, fine."

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The longest hour of his life, Seth decided.

"Okay Summer, it's been exactly 60 minutes. Can you please shut your book now?"

"Hang on, let me finish this last paragraph." Seth joined Summer on the floor by sitting next to her and stroking her long auburn hair. As much as he knew Summer loved playing with his hair, he was sure he enjoyed running his fingers through hers more. He moved up and down her back streaming his fingers on her hair and skin. When she didn't move, he leaned in and placed kisses across her back and down to the strap of her suit. He could see the goosebumps on her arm shoot up.

"Cohen…" she began. His mouth and fingers continued to stroke until she finally shut her book and sat up. She smiled at him and he leaned in to kiss her. It was short kiss, but the way he leaned his head, trying to capture her lips as much as he possibly could, filled it with passion. Seth reached for her bare waist and puller her into his lap. He leaned in again, replaying a kiss just the previous one. It amazed Summer that every time Seth kissed her, it felt new to her. After he pulled away, he said, "Please don't study like that every again."

"Yeah, but its fun afterwards," she replied back.

"This is true," he said and they both started laughing. She got up off his lap and took her hand in his, pulling him up to his bed. His hands went immediately back to their spot on her waist. They landed on his bed and continued kissing, slowly and sensually. Unlike most teenage relationships, Seth and Summer had plenty of practice controlling their hormones. With surprise interruptions from parents, they were skilled in the art of releasing grasps and slowing breathing.

Both of their hands were found in each other's hair as they legs began to intertwine. Summer leaned her head back on Seth's pillow as he balanced on top of her. She tried readjusting so she could get more comfortable as he went in for her neck, ardently teasing her. She giggled a little and he mumbled something.

"What?" she asked laughing.

"Ah, nothing," he said smiling, as he went back to her soft neck.

As time passed, Summer felt her body heat up, not helped by the minimal covering on her chest and bottoms. She pushed Seth up so he could take off his shirt. Both panting, he grabbed the bottom of the shirt and threw it, then returned to her neck. He moved down to her chest and she inhaled sharply, grabbing hold of his hair, hanging on for dear life. The feel of his breath against her caused her breathing to quicken as he continued down to her bare stomach, stopping at the edge of the bathing suit. Just as he was about to bring his fingers up to help pull the lycra fabric down when he heard his phone ring madly on the desk. Ignoring it, he went back to kissing her belly. After the second ring he gave up and left a very tranquil Summer on the bed. Not concerned with talking on the phone at the moment, especially not to his dad, he turned the ringer off.

"Just my dad," he answered to a questioning Summer, while walking back to the bed.

"Mmm," was all she said before he climbed back on top of her, this time going for her lips. She captured them and savored his lips. A few seconds later, they both heard a high vibrating noise come from the corner.

"Seth, why don't you just get it. I mean, it must be important," Summer said concerned.

"Fine," Seth said annoyed. He got up and flung the phone open.

"Hey dad. What's up," he started the conversation. "No, I was ah, just studying," he said while smiling to Summer.

"Dad—just tell me. Okay. No, I'm fine. What's wrong?" Summer listened, trying to distinguish what the conversation was about. Then she saw his face sink. His lips turned the wrong way and his forehead scrunched. "Oh," he said solemnly. "Okay. Yeah. Bye."

Summer looked at him curiously, "Is everything okay?"

Seth sighed, "Ah, not really," he said flatly. "The Nana died. Yesterday."

A/n: Okay, first of all I know the Summer in her bikini idea was pretty lame, but I know where I am going with this now. And this isn't going to be all S/S in college, where they study and make out. Something is coming. Something big, bad, and scary.


	3. Chapter 3

"What?" Summer asked shocked, "how?"

"I don't really know, my dad didn't fill me in on the details."

Summer got up off the bed and immediately went to wrap her arms around Seth. "I'm so sorry baby," she whispered softly into his chest trying to comfort him. Since they had been on the east coast, Summer suggested that they visit the nana at least once. Unable to stay away from her east coast home, the Nana had moved from Miami to Boston. Since it was only 50 miles from Brown, it made sense for Seth and Summer to visit her because at least they were in the same time zone. Once Seth called the Nana, who was more than thrilled to hear from him, sheinvited them over for dinner. After that, they agreed to meet once a month. Summer looked forward to this more than anything. Becausefamily members had been so absentin her life, it felt good to have someone else to become close with. Sophie even insisted on Summer calling her Nana. Summer couldn't believe she was dead now. They had just seen her last week and she looked fine.

After embracing Seth for some time, Summer pulled away. She couldn't read his blank face, but she though she saw diminutive wet spots form in the corners of his eyes. She hadn't seen Seth really cry when Caleb died, but she knew that he had a deeper emotional connection with the Nana. Summer reached her thumbs up to the edges of Seth's eyes as he blinked away the tears. She _hated_ to see him hurt.

"I know she had to go sometime, but we were like _just_ becoming close."

"I know sweetie, but at least you got to spend some time with her, especially since coming to school out here," Summer stated, trying to reassure him.

He just sighed, "yeah. I think I just wanna lay down for a little bit."

"Oh. Yeah, of course, do you want me to—"

"No. Yeah, stay with me. I mean, if you want to," he said softly.

"Of course I want to."

They both walked over to the bed, and lay down quietly. Seth turned to face Summer and buried his face in her shoulder. Summer held Seth's limp and unresponsive body in her arms as she stroked his back up and down. He was so glad she was here. She was his home, his safe place. Summer could feel his steady breathing into her neck and squeezed him tighter, trying to hug out all of his pain, even though she knew she that wasn't possible. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sun fade into the clouds through Seth's crystal clear window. Just as it went down, her eyes began to shut as they both drifted off…

When he woke, he felt two familiar arms around his back. The tight squeeze that once surrounded him gone and he pulled back to look at her face. Her eyes were shut and her mouth was slightly open. As he stirred quietly, she began to open his eyes.

"Hey," she said groggily.

"Hi," he said smiling. Even with devastating news, he couldn't help but smile. Every time he woke up to her, it was like his dream that had come true.

"How long have we been out?"

"I don't know, but I should probably call my dad and figure out what's going on with everything."

"Yeah. Are you hungry, do you want me to go get something to eat?"

"Nah, I'm not really that hungry, just thirsty."

"Okay, you call your dad; I'm gonna go get us something. Okay?" She asked softly. He nodded kindly and kissed her lips quickly.

Twenty minutes later, Summer returned with a bag full of snacks and drinks. While Seth was still on the phone, she laidthe out on his bed. She knew he probably wouldn't touch anything, but she didn't know what else to do to help.

"Okay dad, see you soon. Bye." He shut his phone.

Summer looked up at him questioningly.

"So, the funeral's on Friday and my parents are flying out tomorrow."

"How's your dad, he must be pretty sad."

"Ah, he sounded actually fine, but that could be him just putting on a tough mask to hold everything together."

"So, are you going to tomorrow too? Because I have this test on Thursday, and I'm sure I can change it so I can be there…" Summer started to go off.

Seth had forgotten about classes and tests. Great, more to worry about.

"Summer, I don't want to drag you down with me. I'm gonna talk to my professor tomorrow and work something out. But you should take it."

"Seth, you're not dragging me down. I _want_ to be there. It's fine. Don't worry about me, you have enough to think about," she said as she walked over to him and placed her arms around his neck.

Seth reached for her hands, removing from his neck. "No, Summer. Seriously. I don't need you to freak out. Take your test," he said firmly.

Summer was taken back. She reached for his face again, but he turned away. "Cohen…" she began.

"I need to think right now. Alone," he said coldly.

She was hurt, and it clearly showed on her face. "Okay," she said softly. No more words were spoken as she grabbed her books off the floor and left Seth.

When Summer got to her room, she didn't know what to do, so she resorted staring at to ceiling while laying on her bed. She knew she couldn't be with Seth every second, but she really wanted to be with him now. Although it took a while, their relationshipwas finally been based on truth and trust. Of course they didn't tell each other _everything_, but Summer liked to think that they were close enough to share the most important aspects of their lives. She had to think for a second that if she were in this situation, she would probably want to be left alone also. Wait, would she? As she continued to stare at the ceiling, she thought of their last dinner with the Nana…

Flashback

"_Cohen, your getting sauce on my white shirt," Summer squealed. _

_"Oh yeah, then maybe you shouldn't be wearing white. Maybe you shouldn't be wearing anything at all," he said as he began to chase her around the house with the wooden spoon dipped in spaghetti sauce."_

"_Ahh! Cohen!" Summer shouted as she ran out of the kitchen and around the house. She headed for the couch and quickly kneeled down on it, backing up, trying to get away from him. Seth got very close to her and looked her dead in the eyes. She smiled and he smiled back. It was a quick moment, but was interrupted when Summer realized that the Nana was watching them from the table. She didn't say anything, but Summer could see that she was thinking._

"_Come on Cohen. I'm starving," she said grabbing his spoon-free hand and leading him back to the kitchen. Somehow, they finished cooking and set everything on the table. Summer insisted on making something for the three of them. She didn't want to end up clueless in the kitchen, like Kirsten once was. _

"_It looks great Summer," Nana said sweetly. _

"_Thanks," she said smiling. She sat next to Seth, across from the Nana. _

"_So tell me about your classes," the Nana said sparking the conversation._

"_They're good. I can't believe how fast the semester is going by. I feel like I spend 99 percentof my time studying." _

"_Yes, I'm sure it is. But I want you to remember Summer, have some fun too.Lookoutside what is in your textbook. Once you graduate, you can't go back."_

"_Hear that Summer, the Nana says we shouldn't study all of the time," Seth said smartly._

"_Cohen," Summer said annoyed, "I don't study all the time."_

"_I know you want to do well Summer," the Nana said softly, while taking Summer's hand across the table, "but I think you should stop and smell the roses along the way."_

End flashback

Summer smiled to herself as she felt a tear fall on her cheek. She was definitely going to miss her. She had received enough lectures from adults in her life about how to behave and what to do, but the Nana transferred a sense of comfort in her advice and Summer would always appreciate that. Her thoughts were interrupted by a phone call from Seth.

'Wow, he broke pretty quickly,' she thought. "Cohen?"

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know you just left, but can you come over?"

After a long conversation and many negotiations, they decided that Seth would come pick her up after her test on Thursday. They wouldn't really be doing anything tomorrow anyways, and Seth did not want to create more problems with Summer missing her classes and test.

Summer slept in Seth's room, trying to comfort him as best as she could. In the morning, Seth got up and mundanely packed his clothes while Summer watched him. She was still in his bed because she didn't have class for a few hours. When he was ready, he zipped up his backpack and nodded towards the door. Summer climbed out of bed and wrapped her arms around him tightly, inhaling her favorite scent along with the hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said shortly.

"Okay. Tell your parents I said hello and tell your dad I'm so sorry."

"I will," he said before kissing her on the lips once and then going to her nose.

Later that night, Summer decided to go to the library to get some sources for her paper. It was a cold night, like usual so she threw on some black stretch yoga pants and one of Seth's sweatshirts. She hadn't talked to Seth since he left that morning, but she figured he had his hands full.

After she finished copying some articles, she grabbed her books and keys and left the library. Walking quickly, due to the chilly temperatures, she realized it was really quiet. Because she had gotten so used to Seth's babbling, quiet almost scared her now. She picked up her pace a little more until she heard footsteps behind her. Not thinking anything of it, she kept walking as the steps behind grew closer. She could see the large shadow that formed from the footsteps and turned around to see a very tall person in all black. A little bit alarmed, Summer turned back around and looked at the ground, very determined to make it back to her room. But, she was only able to take two more steps before she felt a leather glove reach around her face from behind.


	4. Chapter 4

After Seth endured awkward hugs and condolences from relatives, he tried retreating to a separate room where he didn't have to deal with reality. Even though he wanted to be seen as a responsible adult now that he was in college and living away from home on his own, the innocent nature in him wanted to just let the real adults deal with everything. With his bags in hand, he made his way to one of the back bedrooms and shut the door behind him. His aunt lived in Boston and had plenty of room for everyone to crash. He unzipped his bag and started to take his clothes out, but before he could reach the bottom, his hand grazed over some smooth turquoise material. He dug deeper until her realized Princess Sparkle had somehow made it in his bag. When he pulled it out, he noticed a crumpled piece of paper on her back.

_-Cohen, _

_I know I will see you tomorrow, but I thought Princess Sparkle could keep you company until then. I even packed her comb for you. I love you._

_-Summer._

A smile spread through his heart and across his face. It still amazed him that the girl _he_ chose was thing amazing to him. It was almost like she chose him. And she did, in her own way. After he actually made her wait when he chose Anna by mistake, when he sailed away, the numerous times he had lied. Her love for him was not phased by anything. If there was something, Seth hadn't thought of it yet.

Since it was late, he thought he should call Summer. After five rings, it went straight to her voicemail.

"Hey Sum, its me. Thanks for sending Princess Sparkle with me. 'What's that PS?' Oh, she wants to say hi," Seth said making horse noises into the phone. "Okay, well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. I love you. Bye." He hung up the phone and got ready for bed.

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Her first reaction was to scream. So she did. But of course no one heard. With a hand almost the entire size of Summer's face, the pressure against her mouth and small features was so tight.

'What the hell is going on?' was thought number one. Thought number two, 'I'm going to die.'

She tried biting the mysterious black covered hand but couldn't open her mouth. In fact, she couldn't even breathe. And, if she wasn't panicked enough from someone grabbing her, the lack of oxygen made it worse. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest it was pounding so hard. Struggling to get out from under his grasp, she brought her two tiny hands up to his large on and desperately tried releasing herself from his grasp. Being as small as she was, she hardly made a dent in her movement. She did however, have enough strength to allow her mouth to take in some air.

She immediately yelled out, "Heeelp! Someone please." But the tears in her eyes and the hitch in her throat dislodged her cries so quietly, it made it impossible for anyone to hear.

The guy continued to hold her steadily and then started dragging her backwards, while her feet tried to stay firmly on the ground. 'God, he's taking me somewhere. This is it,' she thought as another wave of panic hit her. Summer continued to let out cries of help under his stiff hand, which did nothing other than strain her poor voice. Her feet did no good either.

With one quick move, he was able to lift her off the ground and easily carry her away into the night.

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Seth woke up in a cold sweat. His heart was racing for some unexplained reason. Sweat beaded off his forehead and down his face. It felt like he had just had a bad dream, but couldn't remember what had happened. He looked at the clock on the nightstand, 2:43. Especially in the past few months, Seth had been accustomed to having a warm body next to him. He looked over, knowing there was nothing but sheets in the place of where he wished Summer was. He sat up and turned on the light, realizing it would be very difficult for him to fall asleep again. Seth pulled himself out of the bed and proceeded to the kitchen, but before he could reach the fridge, he saw his dad sitting at the table.

"Hey son," he said quietly. "Can't sleep either."

"Ah, yeah, I guess. And I was just kinda thirsty so…"

"Yeah, me too." For someone whose mother just died, Seth thought he looked pretty good, but he still wasn't sure. He pulled a chair out so he could sit across from his dad.

"So," he started. "How are you?" Seth asked concerned. "Which I know is a stupid question considering, but I thought I'd ask since I haven't really talked to you, really."

"Oh well, you know," Sandy said waving his hand, "Things are gonna be a little crazy around here for a while. I'm doing okay. I'm just trying not to blame myself that I wasn't here when it happened. All I can say is, I'm glad we ended on a good note."

He was right. Compared to when Seth was younger, things between his dad and his nana were clearly better. Seth could tell he was still angry that about not being here though. Despite the cancer that nana had overcome, what got her was a stroke. Unexpected and unexplained, Sandy did not have enough time to get out here to say goodbye.

"Ma told me about how you and Summer had been over to her place for dinner a few times. She really loved having you over."

Seth shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. It was actually Summer's idea."

Sandy looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yep." Seth smiled. That was all he needed to say; Sandy could see the admiration in Seth's eyes.

"So, for the funeral, I was wondering if you would like to say something, because I _know_ you always have something to say. And there are other people speaking, but I know you got to know her a little better, especially in these past few moths, so I thought…"

"Um, sure," Seth said before Sandy could even finish.

"Great. Thanks Seth. It means a lot," he said seriously. "Well, I'm gonna try to get some sleep, you should do the same." He got up and put his hand on Seth's back, leaving the teenager alone at the table.

"Night." 'Sleep,' he thought. 'It sounded so good,' but somehow he couldn't do it. He went back to his bed, took out Princess Sparkles and started to comb through her soft hair, wishing it were Summer's. He finally fell asleep at 5:50. Little did he know, that would probably be the most amount of sleep he would come by in a long time.

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Summer stirred as she felt a flicker of light hit the top of her forehead. Her hand was under her stomach, which was currently face down on an incredibly hard surface. She tried pushing her hand off the ground to move herself. No such luck. 'That was one crazy dream,' she thought in the midst of figuring out how to get up.

'It feels like I just ran a marathon. Why am I so sore?' Every square inch of her body hurt. After moments of regaining strength to pull herself from the concrete ground, her trembling hands went around her sweatshirt-less waist.

'Oh God.' This was not a dream. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Flashbacks of the black hand carrying her dragging feet came rushing back. Her heart started racing again and she let out a whimper of pain as her hand grazed against her scab stricken abdomen. The tears started falling instantly, but then she realized something. She was alive. After repossessing her emotions again, she quietly listened around her. Not a noise was made.

'Where am I?' Examining the room around her, she found nothing but four walls and a very old bed. A desk in the corner had been overturned with a chair in front of it. No windows and a small wooden door completed the room. It looked as though someone had put of a fight. The dungeon feeling made Summer even more frightened. The shaking in her hands began again as she thought of looking for her phone. She had only carried a small bag and a couple of books to the library and somehow the guy who took her was too stupid to get rid of the bag also. She found her bag with papers still in tact and furiously began digging for her phone.

A sigh of relief came when she saw her pink Razor at the bottom. Her eyes welled up again. She had never been this scared in her entire life. She flipped the phone open, to find but one tiny bar of reception in the corner.

'Shit.' She began shaking again and somehow managed to hit number 2. She tried sitting up to bring her phone to a higher level, but winced at the pain that went shooting through her legs, then her hips and waist.

Connecting to Cohen…connecting to Cohen…connec—Calling Cohen…she rushed the phone to her ear. It was almost impossible to hear the rings, but she was sure they were there. They had to be. She forced herself to hear them. She broke down once she heard the line click dead, curling into a ball, hugging her scrapped knees to her broken hearted chest.


	5. Chapter 5

Right after he dosed off, Seth thought he saw his phone light up on the nightstand next to his bed. Not thinking anything of it and because it didn't actually ring, he rolled over and tried to go to sleep again. Toss after turn, and many stares at the ceiling later, he finally went back to sleep, all while dreaming…

_As he held the tiny brunette close to his chest, Seth drew his hands to the small of her back and held on. Summer's arms were under his as she laid her head on his chest, taking in a wonderful new aroma that she was bound to be addicted to, Seth. As Wonderwall slowly filled the room with dark blue walls, Seth swayed both of them back and forth and couldn't think of when he had been this content. Summer too, was in a state of welcomed ease she had not experienced before. It had taken a lot of courage for her to display the truth about her previous experiences, or lack there of. It's not like she really planned for Cohen to come over and for him to suddenly vocalize that he wanted to be with her. She hadn't planned on sleeping with him. And she certainly didn't plan on dancing in the middle of his floor either. But she accepted the spontaneity. She didn't hold back, which surprised even herself. Actually, she hadn't been doing a whole lot of holding back at anything in the last few months, well, at least not when it came to Seth anyways. She couldn't even explain it to even herself, not yet. Maybe she didn't need rationalization, at least not at this moment. _

_She continued to cling onto him, while she felt his flow of air sweep across her scalp. She pulled back when she noticed he was smelling her hair. _

"_Cohen, are you smelling my hair," she asked smiling._

_Seth looked a little embarrassed. "Maybe."_

_She giggled a little until he started giggling too, "What?" he asked._

_She continued to smile as she went back to hug him. "You can smell all you like Cohen," she said into his chest. _

"_Hmm," he mumbled and she felt his nose go right back to its spot on the top of her gel-stricken hair. Summer felt her heart melt for what was probably the forth or fifth time since she had been with Seth. It took her a while to realize that he wasn't just another guy looking to get in her pants. He really had watched her and loved her for so many years, without Summer really taking notice. And when she hadn't loved herself, Seth did that for her, even without her knowing. It was as though he gave her little clues everyday and Summer slowly put the puzzle together to see this might be something, something rather than the nothings she felt like she had wasted her time with all of those years. _

_She pulled away again after she figured he had shared his inhalation quota for the night. Both looking and feeling happily stable in the other's arms, they looked at one another before Sumer opened her mouth._

"_Cohen," she began. "I know you said we should take things slow, but I was wondering if you wanted to come over." She didn't want the night to end._

"_Sum—,"_

"_We don't have to do anything, and you don't even have to stay over, but—,"before she could finish explaining herself, Seth put a finger to her lips._

"_Shh," he said calming her down. "Of course I'll come over."_

_Summer sighed out her worry. "Good," she said as she completely pulled away from Seth and grabbed her purse off her bed. _

"_You know, we could just stay here. Besides, we've spent A LOT of time in your bedroom already," he said sort of laughing._

_Summer's worry came back and Seth could notice it on her face. "I know, but—," she tried explaining, "It's just, your parents are home, and they're probably doing stuff, and I'm sure they don't want me to stay over," she verbalized to Seth as he looked at her curiously. _

_She didn't really want to tell him why she didn't want to stay over. Yeah, she was sure that the Cohen's wouldn't really want it, but she wasn't sure if she was comfortable with it. They had spent all of their alone time at her house. Her insecurity was rising to something Seth had never seen before._

"_Summer. My parents don't have to know, and besides it really doesn't matter."_

"_I know, but," she started again. There was something about her home that she was attached to. Of course, it was just a house, but it was her safe place. She didn't really have another place to feel that way, or someone to make her feel that way. Since her mom left, she had always been somewhat distant, but it never really showed until times like these. _

_Seth saw the concern on her face and figured not to push it any more. "Okay, let me get my stuff," he said with a small smile trying to make her feel better._

_Summer didn't know everything about Seth. And Seth certainly didn't know everything about Summer, no matter how much he liked to think he did. Realizations about each other's past were more pieces of the puzzle that would slowly be filled in, or Seth hoped it did. He knew it wasn't an overnight process and he wished that they both stuck around long enough to figure things out._

_When they got to Summer's, neither of them could decide on what to do, so Seth suggested they go in the hot tube. It was a cold night and he thought it might feel good. He wasn't sure that his pact to stay away from the bedroom would help any by sitting next to Summer in a swim suit. But hey, all he could do is try. But before they even made it outside to the backyard, Seth picked her up and scampered towards the pool. _

"_Cohen! Put me down. I swear to God, if you get me wet—". Summer was slung over Seth's shoulder as he held her thrashing feet down with one hand. Before she could threaten Seth any further, they both went flying into the pool. They felt the cool air hit their wet heads as they came up. _

_Summer screamed the instant her head shot up and hit the cold air. She continued to shriek as Seth began to tickle her sides. He tried so hard to make her laugh because he loved hearing it so much. She fought back my poking at his sides, making him gasp for air. Figuring out that he was very ticklish also, she kept going. If they kept this up, they would both end up drowning from the lack of oxygen._

"_Coooohen," she whined._

_Seth finally stopped touching her and swam to the wall, Summer trailing behind him. Catching his breath, he hoped in the hot-tube and then took Summer's hand to help her in. Taking one side, across from her, Seth laid his head back against the cement and sighed. He was right, the hot water felt so good. He shut his eyes before looking across at Summer, who mirrored his actions. There was no need for talking at this moment; the comfortable silence was felt by both of them. And a silenced Seth was always a rarity. _

_He looked again at Summer, whose distinguishably dark hair ran over the side of the pool. Her soft eyelashes lay on her cheeks, while her pink lips curled up a little. Seth wanted to touch her so much, but he didn't want to disturb her obvious blissful state. He would have to settle for staring, which he realized was all right. _

_She opened her eyes after a while and saw him looking intently at her. She smiled at him and scooted over to his side. _

"_Hi," she said._

"_Hi."_

"_I'm turning into a prune," she said holding up her fingers for him to look at._

"_Hmm. Me too." He brought his hand to hers and weaved his fingers in with hers and then kissed the inside of her hand._

"_Well then we can be prunes together."_

"_Sick. Have you ever tasted those things? They're gross."_

_She laughed, "I don't want to eat them Cohen. Mm, but you know what I do want to eat? Ice cream."_

"_Good idea. Do you have any?"_

"_Yep." _

"_Let's go," he said taking her hand and leading her out into the crisp air. He grabbed a towel for her and wrapped it around her tiny frame, rubbing her arms up and down. She smiled at his protective impulse. After throwing on some clothes over her suit, she went back to the kitchen._

"_Okay, there's vanilla or chocolate."_

_He gave a disgusted look, "That's it?"_

_She glared at him. "What would you like me to do, go buy a cow and milk it?"_

"_No, it's just vanilla and chocolate? How boring can you get?"_

"_Excuse me Mr. Ice Cream Expert, but I happen to like vanilla. _

"_Well, who would have thought."_

"_Pshh, obviously not you," she said smartly._

_Getting out two dishes, Summer began to scoop. "Which one do you want?"_

"_Ah, chocolate I guess," he said lamely. When she was done, she got two spoons and went to the living room, with Seth following behind her. _

_She sat down and began licking the white substance off of her spoon. Seth looked at her curiously to see what she enjoyed so much about vanilla. He could obviously tell she was enjoying it though. _

"_Mmmmmm," she let out. "Cohen, this is so good."_

_He smiled, "Yeah, it seems like you enjoy it."_

"_Here try some," she said holding out her spoon to him._

"_Um, I'm not really much of a vanilla fan. So—," he could tell she was annoyed. "Okay, fine." She brought the spoon to his mouth, feeding him like a toddler._

"_I can feed myself Summer," he said laughing while taking the spoon from her. _

_She laughed back as he pulled the spoon away. "See, isn't it good?"_

"_Yeah, I guess."_

"_God, your so unenthusiastic."_

_He actually did like it. Which was strange because he never really did before right now. Maybe it was the fact that she loved it, he wanted to love it too. That was the only logical reason he could think of at the moment._

_When they finished eating, Seth ran to the foyer to grab his bag. _

"_What are you doing Cohen?"_

"_Nothing, just grabbing something I brought over to do," he yelled from the other room._

_He came back holding what appeared to be some sort of video game thing, as Summer saw it. She immediately rolled her eyes, "Cohen, we are NOT playing that."_

"_Aw, come on Summer. You've never even given it a chance," he argued. "Please." Showing his best sad puppy dog face._

_Why did she give in so easily? "Fine. But only one game."_

_Seth rejoiced with a little, "Yes."_

"_Okay, Summer. Press the' X' button when I say 'X' and the 'O' button when I say 'O'," he said slowly._

"_I'm not in first grade Cohen, you can talk to me normally."_

"_Sorry. Okay, ready?"_

_Three hours later, Summer let out a yawn. She actually did have fun. She at least wanted to try it because this was something Seth loved so much. But, she ended up liking it also. Seth noticed her tired eyes and turned off the Playstation. He grabbed a blanket from the end of the couch and laid down next to Summer, wrapping them both in the warmth. _

"_Thanks for playing with me Sum."_

"_Hmm," she mumbled. "I had fun."_

_He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled into his chest. He kissed the top of her head and then her nose. He saw her eyes close as he began to stroke her chlorinated, but still soft hair. He was tired too, but he could think of nothing better to do at this moment then to watch Summer sleep soundly in his arms. _

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After Summer's several efforts to contact Seth, she heard a loud slam, sounding near by. The slam was followed by footsteps. The footsteps turned into a frightening reality, as the man came bursting through the small wooden doorframe that sat between Summer and her only chance at freedom.

She had no idea what time it was, or even what time of day it was. Morning? Afternoon? Her vision was impaired due to several factors that involved beating of different sorts. Under her left eye sat a massive bruise the size of a gold ball. The corners of her lips were with smeared scarlet red and the freckles on her perfect button nose were now invisible. Huddled in the corner she had been in for some time with her knees to her chest, a large shadow slowly came towards her.

Summer's teeth started chattering together and she tried sobbing another cry for help. The shadow turned into a person as he bent over to pick her up by her hair and dragged her to the bed. Summer sobbed again. This was physically more than she could take, and she had no idea how much more there was going to be. Although the mattress was soft, it still made a thud that echoed through the room when she hit it.

"Please—," she strained. "Please, you're hurting me. That _hurts_." Trying anyway possible to reach to him on an emotional level, wondering how a human being could possibly hurt another human being in such a way.

'Oh my God. This cannot be happening to me. What did I do?' more thoughts raced thorough Summer's mind as she suffered through his cold hands roaming her body. She cringed and bit her already cut lip as her stretch pants were being forcefully invaded on her lower half. Panic suddenly kicked in, paralyzing her body, which went limp. The faucets from her eyes were turned on again, but this time her face stilled and she made no sound. Tears rolled down her bruised face ever so slowly, while the wetness in her eyes never desiccated. She was numb and might as well have been dead. Her mind forced her body to shut down and now her brain was shutting down with it.

After not many pulls and tugs, her pants were gone. The only parts of her that reacted were the muscles that produced her goosebumps. The room was chilly enough with clothes on, but now stripped of those, she had no shield to protect her. It was gone. And so was Summer.

Her eyes relaxed closed as the grip on her arm tightened, feeling as though Indian Burns had seduced her all over. When he began reaching for the top of her panties, a release of chemicals entered her body. It was like something woke her up. She shot her eyes open to look at the large mass hovering over her body. Out of nowhere came a rage not of fear, but of anger.

"Get off of me!" she yelled as loud as her voice would let her. Kicking her legs madly in the air, she forced herself to fight back because she had no choice. If she was going down, she wasn't going down without a fight. It was weird how panic reactions were composed of so many layers and it seemed as though Summer was experiencing some of them.

"Uhhh! Mmm! Go! Away!" she yelled madly trying to remember to breath in between her protests. He let go of one of her hands and grabbed her waist so she would stop moving. Full of determination, Summer jerked up her lower body to possibly free herself.

Unsurprisingly unsuccessful that she was, he held her down while she finally waited the inevitable. There were no more tears to cry. He had sucked her dry of every petrified, anxious, or raw emotion that was in her. She was dead for a second time.

As he forced himself into her, the warm chestnut color in her eyes glazed over to a cold gray color. Her body tightened and her face stiffened into a revolted and hurt position.

The more unbearable it became, the louder she screamed. Her voice cracked as she felt it leave her vocal cords and evaporate into the air. Summer felt like evaporating with her voice. She tried transporting herself to another place, anyplace but where she was and what was happening. The room started spinning, or maybe it was her head. The ceiling felt like it was going to cave in on her if she didn't push up on it. She was being crushed, in several ways. Her body was lost.

When the man was finished, he pulled his pants up and left the room, leaving the lifeless girl spread out on the mattress.

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Seth got up at eight that morning. He was surprised he even slept that long. As soon as he realized his aunt had coffee and cereal, he was content, or as content as he could be for the moment. Sitting at the table, trying to read any part of the paper that he could, he remembered telling his dad that he would speak at the funeral.

'Summer can help me.' He remembered reading one of her college application essays. She wrote about her cousin who died of cancer when she was twelve. At first, he thought she made the whole thing up, but after analyzing the emotion and realism she put into it, he knew it was nothing less than the truth. She had a gentle, yet powerful voice when she wrote, differing from when she spoke. And he knew that she was being in her helpful mode because of everything that had happened.

He packed up his stuff and grabbed the keys off of the table.

"Okay dad! I'm leaving!" he yelled through the house, hoping someone would hear.

"You have enough gas?"

"Yes."

"What time are you coming back?"

"I don't know. Whenever Summer's done with her test."

"Okay, drive safely."

Once he was on the road, Seth tried calling Summer. She didn't answer, so he tried again.

Summer faintly heard the sounds of a familiar ring tone. She couldn't move. She didn't want to. She was sure she was dead. She then realized that she actually had her phone. She tried sitting up, but couldn't muster enough strength. She was able to roll over on her stomach. The aches and pains in her body made her eyes tear up while she shifted her arm from under her and reached down on the ground to touch her phone. 'Please keep ringing, please keep ringing…' With her shaking, fragile fingers, she desperately tried to open it, praying that he would hear her. There it was.

"Summer?"

"Seth," she whispered.

"Hello? Are you there?"

She broke down, hoping Seth would hear her. "Seth, I need—,"

"Summer, are you okay." Hearing her cries.

She cleared her throat, "I need help. I don't know where I am."

"What do you mean?" he asked concerned.

"Someone took me. I don't know. I don't know." She was losing control.

"Oh God," he said, realizing one of the worst things that could ever come true. "Okay, stay on the phone with me. Don't hang up Summer."

"Okay. Hurry Seth. I'm so scared," she cried. She wasn't sure if he could save her. For the first time, he wasn't enough.


	6. Chapter 6

Summer cradled the phone in her shaking hands, her heart racing with the pace of her body's shivers. Seth was coming. Or at least he was getting help. Her mind stopped working again when he asked her where she was. Her flicker of hope died. She had no idea where she was taken or how long she had been gone.

After reluctantly hanging up with Seth so he could call the police and figure out what to do, she listened carefully to see if she was alone. The only sound she could make out was what echoed like rain beating against the side of the building she was stuck in. She dragged her beaten body out of the corner she was still huddled in and crawled to the door so that she could listen for noise. Realizing that she had to get out of there, she carefully took note with her ear against the door, wondering where the man who had taken her body away from her had gone. When she didn't notice any sounds, she struggled to get up off of her knees.

The open cuts on her arms and legs made Summer look like she had just been thrown from a moving truck into oncoming traffic. The scary part was, she didn't know how some of her bumps and bruises even got there. She remembered being violated and held down while he painfully forced himself upon her, but her cuts were already there. Her fingertips grazed the top of her small knee, acquiring a smear of her own fresh blood. A single tear fell down her cheek and she closed her eyes. For the first time, she took in what had happened. She had been so caught up in replaying what had happened and what was going to be her next move, she hadn't taken the time to even look at herself. It wasn't just the physical pain from the cuts and bruises that made her cry. She cried for something she could not put words to. The intimate emotional trauma flashed through her mind, trying to absorb the events. She stopped herself after she moved her fingers to the inside of her bruised thighs. It was too much. Too much anger, too much misery, too much confusion for her to handle. She blocked it from her mind, forcing the back up generator in her body to kick in and get her out of that place.

She gripped the phone tighter, holding on her the only lifeline. Once to her feet, she grabbed the doorknob gently, turning it slowly to make minimal noise. It stopped her before she had to chance to work up more nerves.

'Of course it would be locked, he's not that stupid,' she thought to herself, poking fun at her own oblivious nature that was taking place right before her eyes. Horror set for a moment when she didn't know what to do next. Before she could think anything else, her phone moved in her hands. She picked it up before it even rang.

"Seth?"

"Yeah I'm here," he said quickly trying to reassure her.

She sighed out a little of her worry before spiraling into a panic attack. "Cohen. The door's locked! There are no windows and I have no idea where the hell I am!" she yelled, her voice going hoarse in the middle of screaming.

"Sum, listen to me," he said seriously. "I need you to call the police so they can track where your phone is. Can you do that for me?"

"Uh huh," she said through her tears.

"Okay. Are you hurt at all? I can't believe I didn't ask you that earlier." He sounded worried, sensing her quiet tone. "Oh God, did he hurt you?"

Summer didn't say anything, but her silence did. He heard her breathing heavily on the other side of the phone.

"Sum, you gotta hang on for me, okay? I need you to call them so that we can find you." He was fairly held together due to the lack of information, Seth sounded strong and confident. Well, that was until Summer showed him how much trouble she was in.

She gasped for air, "I need you Cohen. Please hurry."

Seth's heart sank. He had heard no sadder voice than hers at that moment. He wanted to jump into the phone and hold her and rock her in his arms.

"I know, I know. I'm coming. I love you. I'll call you soon."

"Okay," she whispered.

He said it again, making sure that she heard him and understood. "I love you."

She closed the phone and looked around the room while wiping her tears against her t-shirt. She opened her phone again, only to find that she had no reception. Well, the police weren't going to be any help if she couldn't get a hold of them.

After being without her sweatshirt, she suddenly realized that she was cold again. She looked around and found Seth's Brown sweatshirt tossed with abandon. She looked at it carefully, thinking that's what she looked like as well. Someone had tossed her around and now she was left as a lifeless creature. She couldn't feel anything but throbbing in her head and pounding in the rest of her body.

She staggered to the sweatshirt and picked it up, bringing it to her face. The sense that she hadn't lost was smell, so she breathed into the sweatshirt, taking in the safe aroma of Seth. Just being in the presence of his scent made her heart rate slow. She hugged it to her chest tightly, rocking herself back and forth, in attempt to comfort herself. But she knew that was not going to save her. She wanted to smell Seth, not his sweatshirt and she knew standing there wasn't going to help her achieve that want.

On her hands and knees again, she crawled around the room because walking hurt too much. Her usually soft hands were now rough with scraps and splinters from the hardwood floor. She looked around until she found a small knob sticking up from one of the piece of wood under the bed. Like a toddler, she struggled across the floor, trying to reach the knob. Realizing that it lifted, Summer's heart started racing. If she didn't get out of this room, she thought her heart was going to leave her chest it was racing so fast.

Her trembling hands ran over the knob as she began to pull. Moving maybe only a few millimeters, she pulled again, this time harder. What little strength she had left in her went into the tug of the handle. With her whole body thrown into the task, the knob came loose and she went flying backwards, landing on her hip. Wincing through the pain as she landed, she figured out that she made a dent in the floor. She got up and placed her hand under the board, lifting it up. Clouds of dust and woodchips went soaring up into her face and eyes. She brushed it away, but her vision was still blurred. She looked down at her feet where the open board was and thought she saw an opening. What appeared to be a deep hole looked like it was filled with something. Her fingers brushed at her eyes again, so she could see. What came into focus were piles upon piles of clothes. A strange and horrid smell lifted up to her nose when she realized what she might be looking at. She dropped the board so it slammed back to its position on the floor. Her face went white. She didn't want to know. But, she was afraid that either her clothes or her body were going to end up under that board if she didn't get out.

A rush of panic mixed with rage and fear caused her to walk across the room quickly towards the door. She shook the handle as hard as she could, wishing it would come loose and let her free. Her anger turned continued as she started to kick the door with her one foot that didn't feel broken. The paneling of the door was thin and she thought she might be able to kick it down. Two hinges flew off as she continued kicking.

A loud thud, and the door was on the ground. Her first reaction was to hide behind the door. Limping towards the corner she had previously been huddled in, she tried to make herself invisible. She began to cry again until she realized that there was no one coming after her. She removed her hands from her face and slowly turned to look at the open doorframe. She peeked around the open space and took in the new surroundings. A long, dark hallway led to what looked like more rooms. It reminded Summer of a prison.

She tried tiptoeing on her one good foot carefully down the hall, still holding her phone and sweatshirt. She crept against the wall, mumbling encouraging thoughts to herself so that she would keep going. Once she made her way down the hall, she came to another hall. It was like she was lost in a dream, and she wanted to wake up so desperately.

Two halls turned into three and Summer couldn't walk anymore. She thought about crawling, but before she got on her hands and knees, she heard a door slam. What she had been dreading came true. She continued to scoot against the wall, hoping for some sort of outlet for her to escape to. Her back slid further down the hallway wall as she tried stepping quietly. As soon as she heard what she thought were footsteps, she bolted as fast as her defeated legs would carry her. Her body felt limp and her head pounded while she flew as fast as it would take her.

Somewhere in the midst of running for her life and trying not to feel her legs go numb, she saw what looked like a window. As she moved closer, she saw it. An actual street, a sidewalk, a way out. She saw light and she realized it was day. There was a chair below the piece of glass that provided her escape and she fully intended to use it. She grabbed the base of the chair, aiming the legs towards the window. With one push, glass was everywhere.

Summer didn't look behind her, but she heard stomping that made her want to scream. She pulled her body up on the chair and climbed over the broken glass, inflicting more cuts on her already damaged arms and legs. With all of her might, she pushed herself up and over, then climbed over several leafless plants drenched in water. The sidewalk above the plants was soaking wet also and she felt the rain beat down on her as she fled anywhere away from the building. Still limping and fighting to continue, she heard screams come from behind her. Not really processing what they were, but she assumed they were something along the lines of 'Stop!' or 'Get back here!' She didn't care, as long as they didn't get any closer.

Suddenly disoriented, Summer slowed down and leaned against a wall. When she looked back, her eyes told her someone was coming after her, but her mind told her something else. She didn't know what to think. The rain beaded down her hair and onto her forehead and she stared at the street in front of her. Sounds of sirens and cars passing by flooded her ears. Moved by the power of the wind and rain combined, she walked lamely past the building and turned down an ally. Sheltered minimally by the downpour, she huddled her phone and sweatshirt to her torso. Her breathing slowed while she slumped down the side of the wall, throwing her head back. She saw spinning. She heard voices. She felt numb. Her pain was heightened to a new level.

She woke up a light ringing in her ear. The ringing got louder and louder. She tried opening her eyes but it felt like lifting stones. When she realized it was her phone, she slowly opened it but her hand that wasn't wrapped around her leg, but she couldn't speak. All she heard was background noise mixed with calls of her name and concerned voices. After many shouts of her name, she realized it was Seth.

"Summer! We're coming; we tracked your phone. Summer?"

She didn't answer. "Summer!" He yelled angrily into the phone.

"Seth?" she whispered, her voice completely gone. Her chest felt so tight, it took too much effort to speak anyways.

She heard sirens in the distant, hoping it was someone to come and save her.

"We're almost there," he said quickly. "Hang on for me, please Sum."

Her head felt light again and her eyes saw spinning. She dropped the phone to her side, as it rolled down her bare stomach and off of her beaten body.

The next thing she felt were hands at her side and more hands at her legs. It felt like a dream. She heard strange voices around her and began to experience an unnerving sense of touch that was not wanted. Without much effort her eyes shot open as well as her mouth. She tried to scream but nothing came out. It was happening again. She was being touched. It took a while for her to realize that the touching meant help. Still terrified, her eyes searched for something familiar but nothing looked well known. She felt a hard piece of cold plastic beneath her back and underside, while her head was being trapped to a rubber board. With so much movement around Summer, it was hard for her to relax. Suddenly, she felt something memorable. A soft warm pair of hands wrapped around hers. She didn't even have to look up to know they were Seth's. Silent tears fell down her bruised cheeks and she her teeth shuddered together.

"Oh my God," she heard him say. He kept repeating those three words over and over. The many hands working on her body shooed Seth away, so he had to release his grasp.

"Summer, I'm here. I'm right here." His words floated through the air and they were more for himself than for Summer really. He tried to reassure himself that he was there and that she was alive, except he didn't look very alive to her.

If he thought his heart broke when he talked to her on the phone, it shattered into a million pieces when he saw her like this. He just stared at her. He focused his worried eyes on her searching ones. She looked so confused, and rightfully so.

They finished strapping her to the board and wheeled her to the ambulance. Seth was able to climb in and sit with her on the way to the hospital. He sat down in the small space next to Summer's head. He had no idea what to say. While the EMTs checked her various stability signs, Seth was able to hold her hand again. It was about the only thing he could think of to do. He felt like if he touched her in any other place, she would break into pieces.

His fingers gently stroked her knuckles on her cold fingers while he mouthed apologizes to her sad face. Her eyes continued searching. She looked at him questioningly with gray eyes and a wrinkled forehead. They continued this looking at each other until the ambulance reached the hospital. They wheeled her away inside while Seth got out andfollowed behing closelywhile watching his girlfriend being taken away from him again.

There wasn't much he could do but wait. And it was driving him crazy. He knew Summer would be fine, but the condition he saw her did not give him the confidence to relax at all. Unaware of what had happened besides the obvious beating that had taken place, Seth thought of how she should have come with him. He should have listened to her or this would have never happened. Before he could beat himself up over it any more, the doctor came up to Seth and told him that he could go in and see her. He didn't tell her anything about her physical condition. But he knew she must be in good enough shape if they at least let him see her.

He opened the door to her room and saw her. Machines surrounding her, he sat on the side of her bed next to her fragile body. Her eyes were half open, but still gray. He brought his face to her hand and kissed it. He dropped his head to the blanket and when he looked up, Summer could see a single tear fall down his cheek. Nothing was said between the two of them. Silence screamed in Summer's face and she began to cry. Seth just rubbed his hands harder over hers and cried with her.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews...they make me happy.

I hope this didn't seem too unrealistic, as far as Summer getting out, and the police finding her.


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